Hands-on History - 01/07/2010
Part of our ongoing Quality Badge series.
Take your pupils to experience a wealth of learning resources at Colchester and Ipswich Museums.
At Colchester and Ipswich Museums they are committed to using their buildings and the diverse collections they contain, to inspire and support active, experiential learning outside the classroom. From Colchester Castle – the largest Norman Keep in the country, to Christchurch Mansion; from Egyptian, ethnographic and Roman collections, to natural history and art, they provide real opportunities for learning across the curriculum.
At each of their four main sites they offer a wide range of museum-led, award-winning education programmes, from Key Stages one to three. Topics range from the Romans to the Egyptians, the Tudors, Victorians, World War Two and homes and castles under siege. Visits give children the chance to work in historic buildings, handle original objects, explore portraits and dress-up in beautiful replica costumes as they explore different sources of evidence. In the development and review of their schools sessions, the museums ensure that they are multi-sensory and include different types of activities to support different learning styles. This guarantees that children of all abilities are able to access their sessions. With a mix of museum-led sessions and organised teacher-led activities, days are interactive and hands-on, and the atmosphere of the museums creates a learning experience far-removed from a day in the classroom.
As an organisation, Colchester and Ipswich Museums are fully committed to the principles of Learning Outside the Classroom, using both their buildings and collections to provide the context and inspiration for real, purposeful learning. With sessions led by museum staff, supporting visit materials available to download from their website, and fully CRB-cleared staff on-hand to help, they ensure a visit is made as easy as possible for teachers, whether you bring a group on a museum organised day or arrange your own independent, self-led visit.
